Cullen

The Consultation Letters of Dr William Cullen (1710-1790) at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh

 

[ID:393] From: Dr William Cullen (Professor Cullen) / To: Anonymous / Regarding: Mr James Hutton (Patient) / 14 June 1768 / (Outgoing)

Reply 'For Mr Hutton' who is to take a course of mercury

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Metadata

FieldData
DOC ID 393
RCPE Catalogue Number CUL/1/1/2/14
Main Language English
Document Direction Outgoing
Date14 June 1768
Annotation None
TypeScribal copy ( includes Casebook Entry)
Enclosure(s) No enclosure(s)
Autopsy Yes
Recipe Yes
Regimen No
Letter of Introduction No
Case Note No
Summary Reply 'For Mr Hutton' who is to take a course of mercury
Manuscript Incomplete? No
Evidence of Commercial Posting No

Case

Cases that this document belongs to:

Case ID Description Num Docs
[Case ID:281]
Case of Mr Hutton who is to take a course of mercury.
1


People linked to this document

Person IDRole in documentPerson
[PERS ID:1]AuthorDr William Cullen (Professor Cullen)
[PERS ID:1703]Addressee
[PERS ID:1222]PatientMr James Hutton
[PERS ID:1]Patient's Physician / Surgeon / ApothecaryDr William Cullen (Professor Cullen)
[PERS ID:1703]Patient's Physician / Surgeon / Apothecary

Places linked to this document

Role in document Specific Place Settlements / Areas Region Country Global Region Confidence
Place of Writing Cullen's House / Mint Close Edinburgh Edinburgh and East Scotland Europe certain

Normalized Text

[Page 1]
For Mr Hutton


1. Let him take ten of the specifick Drops every night & morning
The best way of taking them is by dropping the Drops on a little crum
of bread & forming that into one or more Pills. --- After he has taken
the Drops for a week or two the dose may be increased to fifteen and
at length to twenty -- He is to know that this is a mercurial medicine
& therefore and therefore if at any time he finds a brassy taste in his mouth
& therefore if at any time or that anyone else can discern
his breath to be tainted he must immediately lay aside the Drops &
keep a little warmer than before --- He should take the Drops
indeed only when the warm weather is warm & dry & that when any
cold or wet weather sets in or when he is obliged to go from home and
to be exposed to the accidents of weather he should in either case lay
aside the Drops for some time --------


2. When on any occasion he thinks proper to lay aside the Drops
& particularly after the middle of September when the Drops must be
entirely laid aside let him take the Pills in their place that is every
night & morning. The Dose may be ↑at↑ first one Pill but the Second day
it may be two & if these do not sicken his stomach he may increase the
dose by one every day till he can take six or eight. It is the nature of
these Pills to give a little sickness & their operation in the skin is
much better when they do so but is not necessary that this sickness go far
or that it should occasion vomiting - Let Mr H. therefore increase
the dose of the pills till they sicken him a little but then stop [itt?]
after eight days that the sickness is no longer percieved & then again
the dose may be increased by one pill


3. If at any time there is appearance of any scurf or eruption returning
upon the skin the part may be anointed at bed time with the bigness of
a bean of the Ointment. This ointment has Mercury in it and



[Page 2]

therefore with caution -- If much of it is employed or if it is
repeated for some nights together it will be proper at the same time
to lay aside the drops & if it is in winter or Cold weather it will be
proper to keep at home & otherways to avoid Cold. -- These precautions
will be necessary exactly to the quantity of ointment employed or more
especially if it is used so much as to taint the breath or give a taste
in the mouth ---


4 In Diet Mr H. must abstain from all kinds of salt
meats, all kinds of fish & cheese --- --- The less of meat
that is animal food & the more of vegetables & milk the better.
For ordinary drink he may take small beer & if it is better than water
& if he is obliged to take water it will always be proper to {illeg} (↑take↑) little
↑wine↑ with it. --- With respect to strong drink the less the better and every
{illeg} excess or degree to it will do much harm ------ If he is on some
occasions obliged to take strong drink if it is wine that is only safe
for him -- 9 pints in every shape {illeg} I take to be very bad for him
& strong beer or ale is by no means so safe for him as Wine


5 Nothing will do him more harm than Cold & that whether he is
taking medicines or not -- Let him therefore study on all occasions
to avoid Cold & moisture ---

Edinburgh 14th June 1768
William Cullen
For Mr Hutton

Take twelve grains of corrosive sublimate of mercury, [from one to three?] ounces of peppermint water, and two drachms of syrup of caryophyll, and mix. Label: Specific Drops, ten for a dose.

Take half a drachm each of tartar emetic and {illeg}. Mix together well and add seven drachms of extract of [emollient?] liquorice. Mix and make a mass, then divide into individual pills of four grains. Label: Diaphoretic Pills, one for a dose

Take one ounce of mercurial unguent and two ounces of pig fat. Mix and make an unguent. Label: Specific Ointment.

W C
14 June 1768

Diplomatic Text

[Page 1]
For Mr Hutton


1. Let him take ten of the specifick Drops every night & morning
The best way of taking them is by dropping the Drops on a little crum
of bread & forming that into one or more Pills. --- After he has taken
the Drops for a week or two the dose may be increased to fifteen and
at length to twenty -- He is to know that this is a mercurial medicine
& therefore and therefore if at any time he finds a brassy taste in his mouth
& therefore if at any time or that anyone else can discern
his breath to be tainted he must immediately lay aside the Drops &
keep a little warmer than before --- He should take the Drops
indeed only when the warm weather is warm & dry & that when any
cold or wet weather sets in or when he is obliged to go from home and
to be exposed to the accidents of weather he should in either case lay
aside the Drops for some time --------


2. When on any occasion he thinks proper to lay aside the Drops
& particularly after the middle of September when the Drops must be
entirely laid aside let him take the Pills in their place that is every
night & morning. The Dose may be ↑at↑ first one Pill but the Second day
it may be two & if these do not sicken his stomach he may increase the
dose by one every day till he can take six or eight. It is the nature of
these Pills to give a little sickness & their operation in the skin is
much better when they do so but is not necessary that this sickness go far
or that it should occasion vomiting - Let Mr H. therefore increase
the dose of the pills till they sicken him a little but then stop [itt?]
after eight days that the sickness is no longer percieved & then again
the dose may be increased by one pill


3. If at any time there is appearance of any scurf or eruption returning
upon the skin the part may be anointed at bed time with the bigness of
a bean of the Ointment. This ointment has Mercury in it and



[Page 2]

therefore with caution -- If much of it is employed or if it is
repeated for some nights together it will be proper at the same time
to lay aside the drops & if it is in winter or Cold weather it will be
proper to keep at home & otherways to avoid Cold. -- These precautions
will be necessary exactly to the quantity of ointment employed or more
especially if it is used so much as to taint the breath or give a taste
in the mouth ---


4 In Diet Mr H. must abstain from all kinds of salt
meats, all kinds of fish & cheese --- --- The less of meat
that is animal food & the more of vegetables & milk the better.
For ordinary drink he may take small beer & if it is better than water
& if he is obliged to take water it will always be proper to {illeg} (↑take↑) little
↑wine↑ with it. --- With respect to strong drink the less the better and every
{illeg} excess or degree to it will do much harm ------ If he is on some
occasions obliged to take strong drink if it is wine that is only safe
for him -- 9 pints in every shape {illeg} I take to be very bad for him
& strong beer or ale is by no means so safe for him as Wine


5 Nothing will do him more harm than Cold & that whether he is
taking medicines or not -- Let him therefore study on all occasions
to avoid Cold & moisture ---

Edinr. 14th June 1768
William Cullen
For Mr Hutton


Merc. Sublim. corros. gr xij. Aq. menth. ℥i ℥iii
syr caryophyll [mens?] ʒij - ℳ Signa Specific Drops ten for a
Dose ~


Tart. Emetic. [sacetior?] alb @ ʒſs. Territo simul
probe & adde. Extract Glycyrrh emollit. ʒvii ℳ f massa
dividenda in pil. sing. gr. IV Signa Diaphoretic Pills one for a dose -


℞ Ung. Mercurial. ℥j Axung Porcin ℥ij
ℳ f. unguentum Signa Specific Ointment.

W C
14 June 1768

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